FOIA reform moved through state House with an unknown future in Senate

Transparency in state government was up for a vote Thursday in Lansing.

The state House approved a package of bills that would open up the governor’s office and the legislature to freedom of information requests.

Democratic Representative Jeremy Moss has been working on FOIA reform since last year. Moss says the vote shows their citizens want more transparency – and the Senate should approve them.

“We represent the same folks that the people in the Senate represent. And I think that they’re gonna have to take a tough look at these bills and make sure that they’re adequately fighting for their constituents’ right to understand how their government works.”

Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof has expressed strong opposition to the opening up FOIA to the legislature. But several Senate Republicans have introduced their own FOIA changes. A spokesperson for Meekhof says if enough people in his party are in favor of the changes, he will put it up for a vote.